Expert: Laurie McLauglin - 2/13/2010

Question
If you become a Mahayana Buddhist do you have to be a vegetarian as I am deeply considering it ?

Answer
Hello Zack,

Thank you for letting me answer your question.

There is nothing in the Mahayana teachings that tell you that you have to be a vegetarian.

What there is are teachings that tell us that since we have lived countless past lives, we have had countless mothers.  That means that almost all if not all sentient beings have at one time or another been our precious mother and taken care of us and fed us and loved us and tried to help us as much as they could.

So logically if any sentient being might have been your mother, when you sit down to the next steak dinner, the question is do you really want to eat your mother?

No one is going to decide that for you.  You must decide it for yourself.

Don't hesitate to ask any further questions.

Namaste - Laurie